Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Coulter

Once again, I feel compelled to write about more than just baking, tea and Jane Austen novels. The subject: Ann Coulter
Most of you have probably heard this name pop up in the news over the last couple of days. She's a political commentator from the States who is a big time right-winger. Oh, and she's a biggot. While giving a lecture at a university she said that all Muslims should be banned from taking airplanes because they can't be trusted and that if they want to go anywhere that they should take their flying carpets. One Muslim girl said that she didn't have a flying carpet and Coulter said "Well, then take a camel." Today she's in the news because her gig at the University of Ottawa got canceled due to huge student protests and even, apparently, some threats to her safety. Her response was "I go to the best schools, Harvard, the Ivy League and those kids are too intellectually proud to threaten speakers." Oh ya, and after 9-11 she suggested that the States invade every Muslim country and force every Muslim to convert to Christianity.
Now, what do I have to say about this? That is not the way my God works and that is not the way Christianity works. This lady is a pig.
Romans 12:18 says, "If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peacably with all." Telling them to take a camel doesn't fit under here. Hating all Muslims doesn't fit either.
God does not command us to go into the world and hold guns to peoples' heads until they convert to Christianity - His word tells us to "walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself us for us." (Ephesians 5:2) Christianity is about choice, not about coercion. There's an old hymn "they'll know we are Christians by our love" but apparently some people think they can get away with calling themselves a Christian, loving Christians, and hating everyone else. The bible tells us to hate the world - not the people in it. We are to hate sin - not the sinners.
Now, I in no way condone the threats of violence that allegedly took place. That's not cool. But as a Christian I can not support this woman's lies and evil tongue. I may not believe what Muslims believe but I by no means think that we should wipe them off the face of the Earth. The Crusades are over. And guess what. I think the Crusades were wrong too. I don't believe God called us into a holy war. I believe over-zealous leaders called us into it.
As a Christian I get the "narrow-minded" brand all the time. But what is narrow-minded? I believe narrow-minded is that that Coulter lady is. Actually, her mind is fully closed. I believe she's even closed it out to God at this point. But, if narrow-minded means that I have a set of beliefs on which I stand which the world can not make me change by any 'logic' or science - then yes, I am narrow minded. The world tries to tell us that if you believe something it's rude to consider it as the true way and the right way to live. Well, if I didn't believe it to be true and the only right way to live, why on earth would I believe in it in the first place? Having a belief excludes other beliefs. Do I believe there is one true, living God? Yes. So automatically that excludes the possibility of me believing in Allah and Buddah and Paganism. Eric Ludy makes a fantastic point in his book called The Bravehearted Gospel. He says, "We should always remember - and never forget - that those who will commit to nothing, who stand for nothing, and who risk for nothing, in the end, rarely accomplish anything." Too often our world is open-minded to the point of a stalemate within themselves. Why can nothing get done in politics? Usually because the head of the party feels the need to remain open-minded enough to please the public so they don't go gung-ho for any one idea. Politics nowadays is all about babysteps. (As an aside, bravo President Obama on pushing through and passing the Health Reform Bill. I'm a fan of that action)
Now picture this: a world where everyone could make up their minds without the fear of offending people, a world that still had manners and people still understood that they would need to think before they spoke lest they harmed someone, and a world that sincerely wanted to get along. Sounds nice eh? Now, not everyone would agree on the same points, but at least we'd get somewhere I think. And as for the manners and the thinking and the getting along - all part of the Christian faith, not just some sappy stuff that I whipped out of Jane Austen novels. And really, that's the stuff that real societies are built on.
Well, that's my rant du jour. That lady just makes my blood boil. She's speaking in Calgary today - I wish she wouldn't. I wish she'd suddenly get the intense desire to become a hermit. She thinks banning muslims from planes would help the world? I think banning her from planes would help more.

Mrs. Vander Leek ;)

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